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J.D
12-27-2012, 10:30 PM
What's her real name?

Jinx
12-27-2012, 10:34 PM
oh goddammit

blackmage_nuke
12-27-2012, 10:56 PM
ティナ・ブランフォード

Yar
12-27-2012, 10:59 PM
Tina in the Japanese release, Terra in the other releases.

Terra Branford - The Final Fantasy Wiki has more Final Fantasy information than Cid could research (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Terra_Branford)

J.D
12-27-2012, 11:17 PM
Yes but the US release is notorious for its mistranslations, so we could say her real name is Tina or not?

The Man
12-27-2012, 11:19 PM
Her name has been Terra in every single official release of any Final Fantasy VI-related material outside of Japan, even when other mistranslations like Ultros and Chupon were fixed. The change of her name was intentional, because Tina is an exotic-sounding name in Japan but is extremely common in the English-speaking world. Her name outside of Japan is Terra.

Laddy
12-28-2012, 12:02 AM
If Terra is Tina, Celes should be Betty. :colbert:

NinjaCoachZ
12-28-2012, 01:37 AM
Her name has been Terra in every single official release of any Final Fantasy VI-related material outside of Japan, even when other mistranslations like Ultros and Chupon were fixed. The change of her name was intentional, because Tina is an exotic-sounding name in Japan but is extremely common in the English-speaking world. Her name outside of Japan is Terra.

This. "Terra" isn't a mistranslation, it's a deliberate name change done to accomplish a similar effect as the Japanese version. I prefer it, myself.

While we're at it... Cefca and Butz, anybody?

Flaming Ice
12-28-2012, 01:40 AM
If Terra is Tina, Celes should be Betty. :colbert:


Terra and Celes are such good names!


:)

maybee
12-28-2012, 01:41 AM
What about Locke and Lock ? And Sabin and Mash ? And Cain and Kain ?

Huh ? :kakapo:

Nobody makes threads about them.

Flaming Ice
12-28-2012, 01:49 AM
What about Locke and Lock ? And Sabin and Mash ? And Cain and Kain ?
.


An added "e' doesn't matter,and looks more like a name ...someone must've named him after eating mashed potatoes...odd..... and should have been Cane :) (kain was probably changed due to biblical reference or something like that).

Jiro
12-28-2012, 07:41 AM
Her name has been Terra in every single official release of any Final Fantasy VI-related material outside of Japan, even when other mistranslations like Ultros and Chupon were fixed. The change of her name was intentional, because Tina is an exotic-sounding name in Japan but is extremely common in the English-speaking world. Her name outside of Japan is Terra.

Yar
12-28-2012, 09:09 AM
Her name wasn't "translated" or even "mistranslated." It was localized.

Mistranslations are unintentionally giving the wrong translation. Localizing changes a product so that it will better reflect a target culture's customs, beliefs and thoughts.

Greatermaximus
12-28-2012, 10:59 AM
From my avatar: Oh, I just love what you've done to the place.

Zen Beoulve
12-28-2012, 02:56 PM
Her name has been Terra in every single official release of any Final Fantasy VI-related material outside of Japan, even when other mistranslations like Ultros and Chupon were fixed. The change of her name was intentional, because Tina is an exotic-sounding name in Japan but is extremely common in the English-speaking world. Her name outside of Japan is Terra.

This. "Terra" isn't a mistranslation, it's a deliberate name change done to accomplish a similar effect as the Japanese version. I prefer it, myself.

While we're at it... Cefca and Butz, anybody?

I think this is getting too way off the main argument.

If Japanese delevopers gave her the name of Tina, I don't think the name fits the role of her in the game because:

The baby boy or baby girl name Tina comes from the Indian word which means, "Unknown." Persian word which means, "a part of rose flower." Unknown word which means, "Tina means little." Unknown word which means, "Little One."

Someone also suggested the name is an Latin word which means, "a follower of christ."

Terra fits well for the Western world, this was just a marketing strategy so you gringos can play the game, and not think of her as a prostitute named "tina", meh.

Cefca seems cool to me, and Butz too, maybe the real names can give me clues finding the hidden timeline.

Wolf Kanno
12-28-2012, 08:09 PM
What about Locke and Lock ? And Sabin and Mash ? And Cain and Kain ?
.


An added "e' doesn't matter,and looks more like a name ...someone must've named him after eating mashed potatoes...odd..... and should have been Cane :) (kain was probably changed due to biblical reference or something like that).

Sabin's Japanese name is a bit odd, but from what I've read, it's kind of a poor translation of the Katakana which was poorly utilized on the Japanese part. I've read his name is suppose to be Matthew and "Mash" is suppose to be the shorten "Matt" but it's really hard to say Matthew in Japanese without changing some words around and when it was translated it comes up as Mash. My question is where does Sabin come from? I mean Locke and Kefka's names were slightly altered, Terra's was changed to fit the intention, and Cyan's name was changed to fit the limited character restrictions, but where do we go from Mash to Sabin? I mean at least Terra and Tina are not a huge leap from each other compared to Mash and Sabin.

For the subject at hand, Terra is her official name in English, Tina in Japanese, unlike say the Aeris/Aerith debate, Terra's name has been consistent with new media whereas Aeris only appears in the blind idiot translation that is the original FFVII, so Terra is official outside of Japan.

Bartz is official for FFV, even the translation of "Butz" was debatable from the beginning in the fan-translation community.

J.D
12-29-2012, 12:30 AM
I just think that if the original author's vision name for the character is Tina, then that is her real name. Terra seems to be used because of marketing reasons.

Yar
12-29-2012, 01:22 AM
Well luckily you can input your own =choices for names for each of the characters, so there shouldn't be a problem.

The Man
12-29-2012, 02:13 AM
I'm sure it wasn't because of marketing reasons. I already explained why the name was changed - the creators wanted an exotic-sounding name for the character, and Tina is not an exotic-sounding name in the West.

Jiro
12-29-2012, 03:43 AM
I just think that if the original author's vision name for the character is Tina, then that is her real name. Terra seems to be used because of marketing reasons.

It's not a matter of them saying "I want her to be named x" it's a matter of them saying "I want her name to invoke x references and feelings." Her name is whatever it needs to be in order to achieve that.

Zen Beoulve
12-29-2012, 03:24 PM
I just think that if the original author's vision name for the character is Tina, then that is her real name. Terra seems to be used because of marketing reasons.

It's not a matter of them saying "I want her to be named x" it's a matter of them saying "I want her name to invoke x references and feelings." Her name is whatever it needs to be in order to achieve that.


I Remember a Pach Attack episode when he says: every corporate or marketing related move in the game industry is made possible because is actually profitable for them, everything is profit oriented. So I don't think they were thinking on children like you and me at that time and thought: "The Tina name doesn't seem to be evoking the message we need to express" like if they actually care about a perfect translation or our way of understanding things.

I really wonder what real message they tried to express by putting her the name of Terra in NA, because if you ask me, the first thing that comes in mind is the earth, and I think Terra was a pretty cold hearted General and that name does not give me the shivers. Now if they wanted to keep her pure and virgin, why not changin her god dam clothes?

Also I think Tina is an African-American oriented name, and I bet regardless of what they said was true or not, some racist discussion was involved too, from what I know companies don't change in-game content unless they really need to do it.

The Man
12-29-2012, 05:30 PM
Woolsey must have been thinking in terms of how much it would add to sales every time he localised a name rather than whether doing so would hew closer to the game designers' intent than a straight romanisation. Because people buy so many more games when characters have weird names, don'tcha know.

Wait, there isn't even the slightest bit of evidence for that hypothesis.

Greatermaximus
12-29-2012, 07:05 PM
I hate conversations like these for the most part. If my ideas had to be perfect each time I'd never show anything.

NeoCracker
12-29-2012, 09:00 PM
Also, just like to point out, Tina was likely picked in Japan for her name in part because exotic names draw more attention. So Tina may well have been a marketing ploy to begin with.

Hollycat
12-29-2012, 09:28 PM
I like Tina better.

Greatermaximus
12-30-2012, 10:06 AM
We humans are possibly with some AI's are not objective. Are exotic means feels like esoteric means. Extra things to smurf about. Everyone knows that right?

Brought to you by the letter EEEE...

NeoCracker
12-30-2012, 07:07 PM
We humans are possibly with some AI's are not objective. Are exotic means feels like esoteric means. Extra things to smurf about. Everyone knows that right?

Brought to you by the letter EEEE...

My lack of knowing what the fuck you are talking about leads me to think we should just subscribe to this philosophy.

ShinGundam
12-31-2012, 02:39 AM
I just think that if the original author's vision name for the character is Tina, then that is her real name. Terra seems to be used because of marketing reasons.
Got love "marketing reasons", I guess blonde is more marketable than green hair.

Clo
12-31-2012, 04:48 PM
Terra is better. SHE'S A SUMMON. I can't imagine a summon named "Tina."

Shiny
12-31-2012, 08:28 PM
Well DUH

Terra is Tina
Celes is Cindy
Locke is Luke
Edgar is Edward or "Eddie"
Sabin is Steve
Shadow is Shalinda

Everyone knows that.

Spooniest
12-31-2012, 08:51 PM
To me,

"Terra" makes her seem otherworldly, ethereal, and inaccessible.

"Tina" humanizes the character. It'd be like having a male character named "Joe."

So "Tina" is my preference.

The Man
12-31-2012, 10:23 PM
But she's supposed to be otherworldly and ethereal. She's half-Esper.

Jiro
01-02-2013, 12:03 AM
I can't imagine part of the creative team saying "let's do x because it will make more money!" Maybe I'm just ignorant and optimistic, but from interviews with Square Enix employees who work on the games, they seem to love their product and try to create the most enjoyable experiences they can. Not everybody wants to be rich at all cost.

Mirage
01-02-2013, 08:40 AM
Her real name is Tina. In Japan.
Her real name is Terra. In Ameuropa.

I'm just going to have to go with the localization crowd here. It sucks when something is just translated, instead of localized.

Let's take a more extreme example: What if a character was named Urdumb in Japanese (let's pretend no one in Japan realizes what this sounds like in English). This character is a strong and reasonable character who the rest of the cast looks up to, should the name be kept in the English translation, even if it is the name the author decided on?

DownDiagonalLeftA
01-02-2013, 09:53 PM
She doesn't even look like a Tina.

Terra >

Greatermaximus
01-04-2013, 03:58 AM
Don't wear my name out.

How 'bout "The girl who pilots the magictec armor."

Sounds cooler than many other things.

Mirage
01-04-2013, 05:19 PM
Is that almost the same as magitek?

*Laurelindo*
01-04-2013, 07:53 PM
ティナ・ブランフォード = "Tina Buranfo-do" = "Tina Branford".

Personally I think "Tina" sounds more timid and innocent, while "Terra" sounds more confident and warrior-like.
I guess "Terra" sounds better for the English language.


the US release is notorious for its mistranslationsThat depends on what you mean by "mistranslations".
I appreciate translators who can improvise and reword things for a cooler effect, and Ted Woolsey has some really funny one-liners in his translations, for example the classics "Son of a submariner!" and "'Wait!', he says - do I look like a waiter?".
Translating a script is not just about literally transcribing each single phrase, it is also about creating a tone and style of speech that actually sounds good and natural in that language.

J.D
01-05-2013, 03:12 PM
snip

Yes, but we now have the advanced version which proves that the translating could have been done way better than it was. Every dialogue in the advanced version actually makes sense, while there are some confusing ones in the original release.

*Laurelindo*
01-05-2013, 04:33 PM
snip

Yes, but we now have the advanced version which proves that the translating could have been done way better than it was. Every dialogue in the advanced version actually makes sense, while there are some confusing ones in the original release.
Sure, some parts in Ted Woolsey's translation felt a little off; I always thought Locke's "The brothers are reunited!" reaction on Mt. Koltz sounded a little too cheerful and nonchalant - in the original Japanese version his reaction was more like "Your brother...?!", which felt like a much more realistic reaction.

Wolf Kanno
01-06-2013, 08:22 AM
To be fair to Ted Woosely, the SNES/Super Famicom versions did have alphabet character limitations. Japanese is pretty compact writing system so they could get more dialogue in minimal space whereas English... is a bit long winded, so a lot of the dialogue alterations in FFVI are due to Woosely having to figure out how to cut down three sentences of dialogue into one. I'll agree that in the hindsight of the GBA versions which allowed for a greater usage of characters in text and thus a more accurate translation, that Woosely did lose a bit of characterization (Setzer kind of does a 180...) with his translations but considering what he had to work with, he did a pretty up standing job. The fact so much of his version of the script has become so popular that Square-Enix recognizes it and has pretty much sanctioned it, since they didn't change too much of the more popular lines in ports, or even retcon some of them into Dissidia (Kefka's "Hate Hate hate..." speech anyone?) pretty much shows that as far as SE is concerned, some of these changes are canon now. It's like the Spoony Bard line and if VII ever got a decent re-translation, I'm sure a few of its clumsy but memorable lines will probably remain.

As I mentioned, Square has had no less than five chances to change Terra back into Tina (FFVI PSX, FFVIAdvances, Dissidia 1 and 2, and TheatreRhythm) but they've stuck with Terra, so I'm pretty sure that SE pretty much considers her name to be Terra as canon outside of Japan.

Mirage
01-06-2013, 09:53 AM
Isn't the PC version of FF7 already pretty decently translated?

I know they fixed the "this guy are sick" line, at least.

maybee
01-06-2013, 10:12 AM
I know they fixed the "this guy are sick" line, at least.

Boooooo.

Fuck you Square-Enix.

Wolf Kanno
01-06-2013, 10:12 AM
From what I heard, it was more like the translation fixes in the PSX version of VI where they changed a few obvious issues but largely left the translation the same as long as it wasn't a glaring error. I've never played the PC version so I can't really say beyond hearsay.

Loony BoB
01-06-2013, 12:58 PM
It was Terra in the English game I played, which was the offiicial English game, therefore her name is Terra in the English game.

If I were to play the Japanese game, it would be Tina for similar reasons.

Simple. :)

SkyRender
01-07-2013, 02:51 AM
Her name will always be Terra to me as well. I'm currently in a play-through of every Final Fantasy and getting ready to replay FF6. I was looking at some videos online for challenge ideas and I saw her named Tina. The name just looked so weird and I immediately disliked it. I can't change the name of a character I've known for so long without it feeling weird.

Polnareff
01-07-2013, 07:26 PM
I like the name "Tina" for her so much that every time I play, I change her name to that.

I don't get why changing her name to Terra is supposed to sound more exotic, what with there being lots of girls named Terra/Tara all over the place. I've personally only known three Tinas in my life. :colbert:

Wolf Kanno
01-07-2013, 07:50 PM
Tina is a name associated with:

A. Ditzy blonde valley girls from the 80s who are like totally going to rolf if I don't get that awesome jacket in the mall store window after we get some Orange Julius down in the food court yo!

B. Strippers who use make-up to hide their C-section scars from the redneck patrons that frequent their truck stop out of the middle nowhere strip joint with watered down booze.

Tina is a terrible name in general.

The Man
01-07-2013, 10:05 PM
I have never met a girl named Terra. Ever.

Tara is obviously more common but it's not exactly the same name.

maybee
01-07-2013, 10:53 PM
I have never met a girl named Terra. Ever.


I have ! Twice ! ;)


Both were American and were born before FF 6, so FF 6 wasn't a influence.

Spooniest
01-08-2013, 08:48 AM
Tina makes her seem younger, more vulnerable. It seems like these earth-shattering things are happening to a real human being, who I can identify with. My name's Johnny, for God's sake.

Terra? It's Latin. Who speaks Latin, show of hands?

Tina. When she's just Tina, she seems like just somebody you know.

You will never convince me that Terra is a better name, artistically, for the character.

Loony BoB
01-08-2013, 04:57 PM
"Which is her real name?" and "Which is the better name?" are two very different questions.

Polnareff
01-09-2013, 12:33 AM
I have never met a girl named Terra. Ever.

Tara is obviously more common but it's not exactly the same name.

I know a whole list of Terras with that exact spelling. Tara isn't exactly the same name but it's pronounced the same. :colbert:

Meanwhile, of the three Tinas I know, two are related to me, and the other's name is pronounced the same but spelled differently.

Terra IS a Latin word, but IMO it doesn't make sense in the context of the game or the character herself.

The Man
01-09-2013, 01:02 AM
Tara and Terra aren't always pronounced the same, depending on the accent.